[Samfromindia]

Nice round up of two years with all the details I lost track of all my expenses in last 6 years Btw Ford seems to have decreased the price of that engine guard from 9K to a more reasonable 2k. That is the first thing to go for many people. Even the plastic guard accessory is lost by many Bhpians. I was thinking of making an aftermarket custom metal guard like Ecosport Rules but was too lazy to do it yet.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-...ml#post3198798 (My Silver Ford EcoSport Titanium (O) TDCi. First delivered in India!)

[sahil624]

Originally Posted by jithin23

, Bhutan Drive : https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...-ecosport.html (An unplanned drive: Bangalore to Bhutan in an EcoSport)
, Dudhsagar-Kundapura-Manipal and Coimbatore-Varkala-Trivandrum-Kanyakumari drive.

I read your Bhutan travelogue (when I wasn’t a member) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Your car looks absolutely smashing in that color. I hope your ride takes you to many more places in the years to come and you keep us feeding with your interesting travelogues

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by sahil624

I read your Bhutan travelogue (when I wasn’t a member) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Your car looks absolutely smashing in that color. I hope your ride takes you to many more places in the years to come and you keep us feeding with your interesting travelogues

Thanks a lot Sahil! The color is slowly growing on to be my favorite color in EcoSport and I always wanted a black one though.
Travelogues actually I'm not finding much time to write all of them as 90% of the drives are sudden weekend drives and I'll try to write down those drives as well in the Future!

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

Nice round up of two years with all the details I lost track of all my expenses in last 6 years Btw Ford seems to have decreased the price of that engine guard from 9K to a more reasonable 2k. That is the first thing to go for many people. Even the plastic guard accessory is lost by many Bhpians. I was thinking of making an aftermarket custom metal guard like Ecosport Rules but was too lazy to do it yet.

Thanks Samrat, and sadly most of the people don't know that such an accessory exists. For diesel, the guard comes as standard. The one I've installed is a cardboard type material and the plastic one costs about 4k. To custom make an after market one is a task because most of the welders do not fabricate engine guards near my area and worried about rusting as well.

Mileage I've been getting is 14-16 in Bangalore city , 18-20 in highways. Maximum mileage I've got is 22 and most of the time I drive more enthusiastically so I do not focus more on the mileage. Haven't tried using any fuel additives as I'm skeptical about emissions and engine life.

[jithin23]

Lockdown tinkering

I came across a post on Facebook and there was an update to update sync 3 to version 3.4. It is a straightforward process and takes about 20 minutes to update.

For Endeavor, it'll take about 40-45 minutes as it has a navigation module.

Before starting to go for this update, please do it at your own risk. If updated, don't update APIM modules from FASS as Sync v3.4 is not supported in India and Ford has not released any official update for this version.

Go to this link below as it has a detailed set of instructions to install the update.

https://cyanlabs.net/tutorials/updat...ars-3-4-19200/

The final results after update:

The build details:


The home screen of Sync 3 v3.4


Note that for EcoSport /Freestyle use Rest of the World Non-Navigation file for installing in the 2nd pen drive.

For Endeavor, use Rest of the world- Navigation file for installing in the 2nd pendrive.

Keep the engine ON during the update process(recommended).
At least the ignition must be in ON to perform the update

One thing I noticed after the update is that the temperature on the Sync screen is more accurate than the previous version. Also, the functions such as Android Auto/Car play also will work as it was before the update.

[jithin23]

40,000 Km Update

It's been 10 months since the previous service and due to Covid-19, Blue baby has got some slack and has been used less, else 10k kms usually get covered within 4-6 months.

No complaints on the way Blue baby is performing or handling, it feels as good as a new car , except for the tyres which make their presence felt in an otherwise quiet cabin and Rats chewing blue baby's wires and pipes for dinner.
Apart from these, it's the same mantra of fill it, shut it and forget it

Service cost is the highlight though(4.5k for service and 1.5k for wheel roatation, alignment and balancing)

Brakes still have about 5-6mm thickness and mileage has bumped up a bit.

A couple of pics during the lockdown & post lockdown drives





Now coming to the fun part: Internal Mods in the car[Thanks Naveen(bhpian: nkdev89) for the inspiration]

I wanted to try something different in my car by trying to enable global window open/close(similar to VW's remote opening/closing of windows).

For enabling this feature, we need to use forscan and change the values in BCM(Body control module), DDM(driver door module), PDM(Passenger door module) and IPC(Instrument Cluster Panel)

Using ForScan, there's a huge potential for mods


Global windows enabled in MID but function isn't working through keyfob


I had enabled the global window function in all the modules, however the Indian EcoSport does not have two lines in the BCM code to complete the mod. I found out when I had cross checked in the AsBuilt format from forscan, so I was like damn, I need to do something new and then I found a way to disable Speed warning chime which is present for BS 6 vehicles(P.S mine is BS4)

For knowing more about forscan, please go through this link:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-d...e-variant.html (DIY: Upgrading the Indian EcoSport Titanium to the Global ST-Line Variant)

These are the steps below to disable the speed warning chime:

1. Install Forscan on a Windows laptop and have a ELM327 OBD connector with HS-MS can
2. To access forscan, you need to register on forscan forum and get the extended trial license for free
3. Then connect the car to the laptop and run the forscan app and let the app read the car's details
4. Once step 3 is completed after following instructions, go to configuration & programming ( the chip icon) and click on IPC.
Important: In this step, save the asbuilt files so that in case of warranty claims or any issues while changing the code, you can revert back to stock by uploading this backed up asbuilt file
5. Click on IPC Module config and search for "India overspeed warning" and double click on it to change the value.
6. Change the value to disabled , click on write and turn off and on the ignition.

The Speed warning specific to India


Bonus: I enabled the Bronco theme, later changed it to ST splash screen because I liked the ST splash screen better and felt that ST will suit EcoSport better(changed using APIM module).

Posting a youtube link of the Bronco splash screen for reference

https://youtu.be/wre0djH-PRw

However, the ST splash screen comes up only whenever ignition is turned on. While turning off the car, the regular Ford logo appears

If you're on Sync v3.4, options are very less to change splash screen or theme. Plus Sync v3.4 does not accept any other theme except the stock theme. For Splash screens, only a few such as Mustang, RS,ST and Bronco work. On Sync v3.3 there are more choices to enable themes as well as splash screens

ST Splash Screen


Also enabled compass on the instrument cluster using IPC module(bottom right corner of the MID display). Enabled the oil service interval, driver alert system a.k.a Driver fatigue detection and ceramic brake pad wear indicator(though I have stock brake pads, I have experimented by enabling the option. Likewise for Driver Fatigue detection as well)

I find the compass direction useful. Going to change this bland looking MID soon


Now these small mods are done. Waiting for some more mods to be done such as tilting rear view mirror while reversing(need to source the memory controls for the mirror), bigger MID with Performance type view, cruise control & TPMS. Of course, I'll find out the remaining code and complete the global window open/close mod

Until then drive safe/ride safe/stay safe!

[Chugh_H]

If you can get that global close thing to work, you've got to send me your address. Please do it quickly, I am temporarily moving out of Bangalore until offices start opening.

Seriously, you guys are really doing some great DIY work with the whole instrument cluster and related items, keep updating this thread. One question I have is where are you sourcing the new MID from in these COVID times? What is the kind of expected delivery date?

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by Chugh_H

If you can get that global close thing to work, you've got to send me your address. Please do it quickly, I am temporarily moving out of Bangalore until offices start opening.

Seriously, you guys are really doing some great DIY work with the whole instrument cluster and related items, keep updating this thread. One question I have is where are you sourcing the new MID from in these COVID times? What is the kind of expected delivery date?

Thank you so much Chugh_H! I'm still working on the global window open close thing and will update when it's done.

Speedometer, Naveen has sourced it from UK via eBay. I'm searching for S speedometer in India itself so that most of the functionalities will work for a diesel car. For petrol, the ST line meter from UK is perfect. FASS will be shocked though

[jithin23]

Just came across hidden features which I had enabled in forscan

The hidden feature is the calm screen, which shows the date and day of the month along with AC temperature.

I was wondering how come date is not being displayed in sync 3 and wanted to figure out a way to see the date and by pressing the screen off button once, it appeared like magic. Pressing the button twice turns off the screen.

Alternate way is to go to display and then press on Calm screen or display off


Press the marked button once for calm screen, press again to turn off screen. This pic is the calm screen view


However this feature needs to be enabled in the APIM module by connecting to forscan. I'm not sure for flyaudio users if it works.

The second feature is engine oil life. The old ecosport gets a service reminder and the facelift unfortunately does not get a service reminder. Somehow I figured out and I have enabled the engine oil life feature(need to check in the next service though if the feature works)



Ford could have enabled these basic reminders which are very useful

[jithin23]

A few updates on blue baby's usage

I've been quite busy with work over these months, so I could not pen down the trips nor changes blue baby has undergone.

Changed all 4 tyres(at 42,500km on the odometer) in December 2020 to Yokohama Earth-1 at 6,750 per tyre. I bought these from Sai Iyengar tyres, Indiranagar. It's better to purchase tyres directly compared to online because they provide the latest batch of tyres and can be held accountable in case of warranty issues.

The Yoko




So far I have driven about 5,000km with these tyres and have travelled to TN and Kerala and grip is way better than the MRF ZV2K. Only downside is that there's a drop of 1km/l but considering the performance of the tyre, I'll give it a pass

Meanwhile, we also cleared out the car loan which we obtained from SBI Hosur and it was a breeze. However, the remaining amount(Final EMI amount or whatever amount is remaining in the loan) needs to be paid at the branch to get Loan cleared letter as well as the NOC. They will give these documents instantly

A checklist of documents for Hypothecation termination in the pic below(Refer to HPT)


I decided to get the hypothecation cleared on my own from the RTO as well because the agents charge a bomb(2,000 through an agent) and costs 200 to do on our own and it's an easy process.

Steps: Part 1:-Online process:

• Go to Vahan Citizen Serivces websitehttps://vahan.parivahan.gov.in/vahan...homepage.xhtml
  
• Type your Vehicle number and you will be asked to click on proceed. On Proceeding, you will get a page to pay taxes, change mobile number, etc.
  
• Next, click on basic services, you will be redirected to a page where you need to fill out Chassis and Engine number. You will get an OTP to proceed to the next page
  
• Now there are 6 options. you can choose based on what you need to change in the RC card. My requirement was to remove hypothecation so I chose that option

• Once the option is selected, scroll down to check the total amount and click on proceed
• Next step is to pay online and once paid, you will get an acknowledgment receipt. Please download it without fail and take a print out of this
  
• Now you will need to upload the relevant documents. In my case, I had to upload form 35(you need to take 3 original signed forms from the financier and submit these in person at the RTO) with NOC and RC card photo needs to be uploaded
  

Part-2: Visit the RTO

Note: anyone can go and submit the application on your behalf

Please carry your insurance and emission test copy as well before submitting the file for submission

Before visiting the counter, arrange the documents in order in a file. You can purchase the file, 18 Rs Postal envelope and a ziplock cover to keep the RC card near the RTO premises. Carry all the documents and a self attested Aadhar card copy of the owner

Once these steps are done, please go to the RTO where the car is registered and submit these documents. I believe the steps are similar for all RTO's across KA and India.

If the RTO is KA-03, please go between 10:30-1:30PM and submit these documents in counter no 15 and17 in the ground floor.

The cashier will give the acknowledgement slip with sign and seal. Voila, it's done. You can use this acknowledgement receipt in lieu of your original RC card .Now, we need to be patient after this process is over. It will take a month till you get your updated RC Card( It will be delivered to your doorstep) and you can track it via the Vahan portal. To check the application status, go to Vahan -> Status -> Know your application status -> type application or acknowledgement number. Sometimes in certain cases after paying the amount, you can upload the relevant documents through this step

That feeling of getting the RTO work done on our own is priceless

The steps are same for any vehicle

On a side note, you can check any vehicle's registration history in Vahan portal by clicking Status-> My vehicle details. Fill in the vehicle particulars and you will get all the details from first registration to insurance to fines. Vey helpful for people who are going for used vehicles to check the legality.

Attaching the report below


An update on the global windows: Since Indian EcoSport does not come with rear door modules, the global windows will not work. However, I'm trying to source these modules from Europe and I'll keep you all posted.

Upcoming mod is to change the speedometer to High series. I will update on this by March

Till then Ciao, and stay safe

[jithin23]

49,000 km Update: Cluster Swap to Diesel AWD ST-Line cluster (Part No. GN15-10849-CDH)

The Car is almost about to complete 50k kms and I thought why not gift it something . I tried enquiring for the S variant speedo with all scrap dealers across India and no luck here :(. FASS won't give the instrument cluster without seeing the car in person. Also, Naveen's post of changing the cluster gave me some confidence that I can configure the cluster on my own.

Since a detailed explanation is given by Naveen already, I'll be sharing my experience

Link for the detailed mod explanation( this includes for cluster swap and cruise control):https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-d...e-variant.html (DIY: Upgrading the Indian EcoSport Titanium to the Global ST-Line Variant)

On my usual searching spree on all car related sites across the globe, on February I found the exact speedo cluster(I was very particular about the diesel cluster because functions such as glow plug indicator and water in fuel filter does not work in a petrol cluster) I wanted for my car on eBay. Contacted the seller directly and Boom! No shipping to India via eBay .

The Eureka moment:

Then I had a contact of mine in the UK and requested him to get the speedo for the price I requested the seller(90 Pounds) and ship the meter to me. He readily agreed and I got the speedo shipped through Royal Mail (India Post equivalent in the UK). The tracking number given by Royal Mail works for India Post tracking as well.

The wait:
This is really the most thrilling part as the speedo got stuck with the customs the day it landed in Bangalore. A couple of trips to the Foreign Post office and by explaining the justification to the Customs Superintendent, the parcel was cleared in a week(the lack of customs officials is the cause for the delay).

Then the blame game of the post office started. I had to run around to a couple of post offices as my area pin code was changed without informing us(duh!). This ordeal was for 2 days

The result:

Finally the courier reached my house yesterday and I was super excited to see the meter. I went to Hosur as Naveen and I wanted to explore some more modules in the Instrument Cluster and got it fixed yesterday.

After plugging in the meter in my car, we saw 4WD gauges et al. and we decided to enable the features that are relevant to our use.

The output was impressive and the highlight is that google maps navigation works on the MID itself which is usually possible if there's a HUD. Note that navigation in cluster will work only with the bigger MID and Sync 3 version 3.4 build 19200 or 20282 and above.

However, the remaining functions are same as the S variant

Let the pictures do the talking:

1. My Old Cluster


2.The new cluster without re configuring:


3.Navigation Compass without Android Auto


4. Navigation directions with Android Auto(all direction prompts work as intended)


The speedometer also works as intended

For Global Windows, we need all window switches as one touchup-down switch and only then it'll work.

I'll be sharing about enabling cruise control soon

[WizSatish]

Navigation on the MID looks awesome. Mine is the S variant. Can I use forscan to enable this? Will there be any warranty issues if I use forscan? Thanks in advance.

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by WizSatish

Navigation on the MID looks awesome. Mine is the S variant. Can I use forscan to enable this? Will there be any warranty issues if I use forscan? Thanks in advance.

Thank you! That's the reason I swapped my cluster. Yes, you can use forscan to enable but I'm not sure if S variant cluster supports Navigation as S variant cluster is Mid series and the one I've installed is the ST line cluster which is called as high series cluster in Ford terminology.

Go to IPC module and in that enable Trip navigation and turn by turn directions in mobile.

I'll post a screen grab of the functions to be changed soon

[fiat_tarun]

Hey Jithin, I saw your post in the Venue vs Ecosport thread about enabling cornering function for the fog lamps. How is this done? Can you please elaborate?

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

Hey Jithin, I saw your post in the Venue vs Ecosport thread about enabling cornering function for the fog lamps. How is this done? Can you please elaborate?

Hey Tarun, I'll be writing about enabling cruise control in titanium shortly. I thought I'll include it in the cruise control post itself. I'll get the post live by the end of this week