[vigsom]

Introduction

This story dates back to early 2016, when a friend in Chennai was looking for a replacement for his 2007 Camry.

Unprecedented rains and the subsequent floods in Dec 2015 caused large scale destruction. Most of the Chennai City core areas falling under TN-02, TN-07, TN-09 and parts of TN-06 bore the brunt of natural fury. Cars were the biggest casualties, and two cars belonging to my friend suffered flooding till the seats. One was a 2007 Camry and another was a 2013 Ritz. While both the cars had been restored to normalcy, he still wanted to upgrade to a newer car.

I received a call from him asking if I could help him evaluate a 2009 Fortuner. This was a strange request since both his cars had just been restored to normal. I knew that the Fortuner wasn’t the right choice, knowing that he wasn’t that great at driving a manual in mad Chennai traffic. However, I still evaluated the Fortuner for him.

This was a single owner owned, 1,40,000km done black 2009 Fortuner. The car was in average condition, mechanically good but cosmetically bad. The bumper had been replaced and the fog lamps were missing, plus a part of the grille chrome had worn off. The bonnet had been repainted too. I gave my friend a 50:50 clearance – that he could go with the car for its good mechanicals if he was willing to overlook the cosmetic deficiencies. The dealer, however, refused to go below INR 10.75 lacs and hence the option was shelved.

Having known my friend’s constraints in driving, I recommended that he move to an automatic vehicle. The Honda Accord was an option and while we were looking at some options on line, we stumbled upon this Oct-2010 Ford Endeavour 4x4 AT:

• Second owner
• Odo Reading 1,12,500kms
• Diamond White
• List price INR 9.9 lacs

[vigsom]

Inspection

I told my friend to just see the car, and accompanied him to perform an inspection. This is what I found :

The Great

• Good exterior finish
• All panels on original paint
• Not flood impacted
• Goodyear Wrangler tyres which were just a few months old and seem to have done no more than 5,000km
• Great seats with the leather intact – negligible chaffing on the driver seat with the other seats intact
• Mechanically superb engine and transmission
• No errors on the console
• Original invoice + Owner manual + service bills from 60,000 kms ; all service done at MPL Ford.
• Rain visors all around

The Not-so-Great

• Coolant expansion tank was near empty
• Took a test drive of the car and although the AT transmission shifts were non-jerky, the brakes were not confidence inspiring
• One key was misplaced
• A horrible looking fender mirror that had lost its chrome

Decision Making (Go-No Go) and Delivery

My friend was not sure of investing INR 9.9 lacs on a Ford, but I knew that the car would meet his requirements; he was going to use the car primarily in the city and cover no more than 5,000km a year.

I advised him to try the car out as an Automatic would take the stress out of his driving. Being a Ford, the car could easily be obtained for INR 9 lacs but I told him to cap his offer at INR 8.75 lacs. This wasn’t a Fortuner, at the end of the day, and therefore one could get more for less.

On negotiation day, I was an observer while my friend was the negotiator. I found that we were getting into a stalemate with the owner not budging below INR 9.25 lacs, but my friend eventually succeeded in breaking the barrier and sealed the deal at INR 8.75 Lacs, which was a fair price for an Oct-2010 Endeavour in Feb-2016. The only reason the owner agreed to this price was an immediate settlement of funds.

Delivery day was normal, with the owner accompanying my friend to the finance company to close his loan, obtain the NOC and Form-35, post which I drove my friend home. The experience of driving this behemoth through Chennai traffic was exhilarating; the car is quite long at 5m but I could just not feel the size while driving.

Likes

• Commanding view of the road ahead
• Easy maneuverability through even narrow roads
• Powerful engine with a macho engine note
• Stress free driving with the high seating position, powerful engine, and a 5 speed automatic transmission
• The car would drive like a diesel locomotive – accelerate to say 60kmph, and then casually coast with the engine rpm at almost idle, until speed drops and it is time to accelerate again
• Feature rich for its time – factory fitted Kenwood 7034BT Head Unit with navigation, reverse camera, USB, DVD and a roof mounted Nippon DVD player cum screen
• 245/70R16 tyres – great aspect ratio to tackle rough roads

Dislikes

• Average rear suspension which sported leaf springs; this would make the ride for rear passengers particularly bumpy
• Primitive automatic transmission – one could move the lever out of P even without putting the ignition on and pressing the brake
• The automatic transmission would take 2 seconds to respond to a downshift for quick overtaking
• Average brakes, which was an issue even with the Fortuner then
• No driver seat height adjustment
• High floor pan which meant just around average comfort for center seat passengers
• Unreliable electrical components – we needed to service the power mirror adjustment switch and the brake light switch plus replace several bulbs
• The faux wood finish on the door armrests and dashboard were partially worn out
• User interface on the Kenwood 7034BT was quite complicated; one needed to practice and master the settings on this head unit
• No automatic climate control and no steering wheel controls in a vehicle of this class
• Third row of seats is a single row

The Rear Seat


The Boot


The Kenwood 7034BT Head Unit (sample pictures)



The Endeavour in Diamond White (sample picture)

[vigsom]

First Maintenance – Feb 2016

I have mentioned this before – some of my friends may be de-jure owners of their cars, but I would end up as the de-facto owner for some cars as I would treat them my own. This Endeavour missed a service at 1,10,000kms and therefore I decided to get the vehicle "Mobilised". I chose Mobil Delvac Super1300 15W40 for the engine and Mobil 80W for the differentials (front and rear).

Mobil Delvac Super 1300


I couldn't find API GL-5 oil and therefore took a decision to go with Mobil 80W API-GL4 as this car was not going to do extreme duty at all. Now comes the surprise element- the filter elements. Purolator's Innova air filter was a perfect replacement and so was the Innova oil filter from Denso. The coolant was topped up using Apex super long life red coolant. This cost INR 400 and was labelled to last 8,00,000kms.

The AT oil needed replacement only after 144 months so that was another six years away. The power mirror adjustment switch of the car wasn't working at all ; had that opened, cleaned with IPA and there she was, back to working ways.

The front left woofer was not firing, and on opening the door panel, it was discovered that one of the leads of the speaker had gone kaput. The front speakers were replaced with a new set of Pioneer components which cost a mere INR 3,500 inclusive of installation.

Mishap in May 2016

That was the time this stretch of road at Teynampet just ahead of the Gemini flyover in Chennai was partly closed for the Metro work and temporary concrete separators had been placed to separate the up and down traffic. My friend did not notice a separator at a curve, and ended up ramming the Endeavour into one such separator. The front beam took the hit. The impact "t-boned" the grille and the bumper (which also flared wide open at both ends) but nothing happened to the intercooler, radiator and AC condenser.

On enquiry at Ford, the grille was quoted at INR 35,000 and my friend did have the option of claiming insurance. I, however, stepped in and told him that even if he claimed insurance, he would get only 50% of the cost of the grille covered. I asked that I try something novel out to which he agreed.

The damaged grille was straightened and the beam repaired at the paint workshop. The front bumper was also heated back to shape and re-painted. This cost INR 15,000. Now it was time to figure out something for the grille. It suddenly dawned on me that the broken chrome on the Endeavour grille was all that needed to be filled, and while examining options like the Celerio grille for the chrome bits, I realized that the Indica bonnet lip would be a good fit.

Note in the following pictures that there are provisions in the Tata Indica hoodstrip to fit screws; so all that was needed was to buy four hoodstrips, align these with the grille, and fix with screws from behind. This modification cost a mere INR 1800 for four OE hoodstrips and another INR 1000 for labour

Damaged grille straightened and bumper repainted


Broken chrome portions marked


The Indica Hoodstrip



Provision to fit screws in the Hoodstrip


The Rejuvenated Grille

[vigsom]

Screeching to a halt - Sep 2016

The Endeavour was cruising towards west TN one evening when there was an abnormal noise underneath and the car abruptly stopped alongside a highway. Inspection showed that the propeller shaft to the rear wheel had got disconnected.

My friend had to shift his family members into another car to help them proceed to their destination, while he was forced to organise a flatbed to bring the Endeavour back to Chennai. He preferred that rather than tender the car to a Ford dealership in the closest town.

A flatbed brought the car back to Chennai very late that night. First inspection by me the next morning revealed the following:

1. propeller shaft to the rear wheel had got disconnected
2. the first Universal Joint (UJ) cross after the transfer case had sheared off and the moving propeller shaft caused damage to the underbody too
3. the sheared off UJ Cross caused imbalance (uncontrolled radial and axial movement) in the propeller shaft that also caused one mounting bracket of the center bearing to shear off (the 2 piece propeller shaft sports a center mount-cum-bearing)
4. the other two UJ crosses showed some play so decided to change all three of them.

The rear propeller shaft in a 2 piece configuration - here 8 is the Center Bearing while the 9s are the three UJ Crosses


The 2 piece propeller shaft with the UJ Crosses encircled - the UJ Cross at the bottom of the picture had sheared off


Damaged Center Mount cum Bearing on the Propeller Shaft - the bracket on the right was damaged


Damage to the underbody due to shaft imbalance - the red arrows show the area of damage while the blue arrows show where the center mount cum bearing is fixed


The Center Mount-cum-Bearing(sample pictures)



None of the existing UJ Crosses had any stampings. I managed to source a somewhat decent brand of Cross called "precision"; bought three of these. The mount cum bearing for the shaft was from RBI Thailand.

Damaged UJ Cross vs new


The cost of parts was INR 6,000 for the three UJ Crosses and INR 3,800 for the center mount-cum-bearing.

All the parts were fitted and the propeller shaft was fitted back on the vehicle the same evening.

Total damages for parts and labour was INR 13,000; the flatbed charges were INR 9,200.

What I realized later was that my friend could have got the shaft disconnected at the incident Site (approx 110km from Chennai) through a local mechanic and driven the car back to Chennai in 4H mode with the front differential in action.

Anyways , all is well that ends well.

[vigsom]

Mayhem - May 2017

My friend and his family were heading out of Chennai early morning one Sunday. They filled up diesel in the Endeavour, and after the fill, the car wouldn't crank thanks to a weak battery. They tried jump starting it with another battery from an Ashok Leyland Boss (IIRC) but because of reversed polarity, the horns went off momentarily and then there was silence. I got a call at 5am for help, but I told them that I could help only after 10am as I'd need some fuses for the car. They then called someone known close by, gave them the key, hired a taxi and left the car at the fuel bunk. I did not have the owner manual of the Endeavour so did not know which fuses to take.

Meanwhile, at approx. 10am, I went to Mahalingapuram to meet someone, and on the way, I spotted a White Endeavour 4X4 AT parked outside an apartment. I parked my car, went in, and asked the Security there as to whose car that was. He became suspicious but I told him who I was and why I needed help. He checked with the owner if I could speak to him and the owner was extremely glad to help. I just requested him to show me the owner manual . He called me home, gave me the owner manual and I took photographs of the relevant pages.

Extract from the Owner's Manual



I waited for my spare parts store to open, then took two 80A fuses and a couple each of 40A and 60A fuses, picked up my tool kit from my residence en-route, and reached Ground Zero. I also called the person who had the key and asked him to come to the car. On reaching the Endeavour, I observed the following :

1. The AT lever indicator on the dash was stuck in N irrespective of whichever position the gear was actually in.
2. Switched on the ignition and some lights on the dash were observed off.
I checked all fuses and found the main 80A fuse (the one with the long legs which is also bolted) to have blown.

The 80A fuse is the only one which is bolted, and needs a small dia box spanner(IIRC 7mm) to open and refit. I disconnected the battery, and replaced the fuse using my tools; connected the battery back, and jump started the Endeavour using the 95D26L battery of my Grand Vitara. The Endeavour started in a flash. I then asked the person who had come with the key (a driver) to drive the Endeavour back to my friend’s residence and I was in the Grand Vitara following him home.

The 80A Main fuse on the Endeavour



Time and Money

Break up of costs of maintenance of the Endeavour in INR was as follows:

1. Feb 2016 service (Engine Oil + gear oil + filters + Apex coolant+ switch rectification+ labour) INR 6,300
2. Body repair plus grille re-build INR 17,800
3. Sep 2016 breakdown (Propeller Shaft UJ Crosses, bearing, flatbed charges and labour) INR 22,200
4. May 2017 Electrical breakdown (Fuses ) INR 400
5. Battery 105D31R INR 5500
6. Pioneer Component speakers INR 3,500

Total cost INR 56,000 approx.

Farewell Endeavour

The Endeavour served my friend without any further issues for the next 2 years, and he then gave the car away for INR 5.5 lacs. The Endeavour was not a perfect car in any way but wasn’t too expensive to maintain either. If one can live with its simplicity and be watchful for issues, the Endeavour is quite a solid machine to have even today.

In this age of Internet cars, this robust Endeavour would do a good job to keep the owner safe and happy !!

The Endeavour at departure



Here is a picture of an immaculately maintained Endeavour in Diamond White (pic courtesy bhpian @MAS )

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage this week

[Sreesh1009]

I'm loving these pre worshipped anecdotes. How many pre worshipped cars have you bought and how many have you helped your friends procure? Are there more posts coming up?
Cheers
Sreesh

[blackwasp]

Thanks for sharing vigsom. Your recent threads are a joy to read. The old Endy has been on of my all time favourites and would love to experience it some day.

Glad to know you are helping out friends and family in all things cars.

Looking forward to more such threads.

[Sran]

3 years and a depreciation of 3.25 lacs rupees with repairs of rs 38,000, was it worth it? For a vehicle with such high odometer reading I would only trust the Japanese duo of Toyota and Honda.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by Sreesh1009

How many pre worshipped cars have you bought and how many have you helped your friends procure?

Thank You @Sreesh1009. There are many such vehicles that I have worked on, but unfortunately don't have pictures of. My endeavour is to keep the experience sharing pipeline warm always. Let's see how far this goes.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Glad to know you are helping out friends and family in all things cars.

Thank You @blackwasp. I am always glad to be of service to those who trust my abilities. Understanding various machines and being involved in maintenance provides immense learning.

Originally Posted by Sran

3 years and a depreciation of 3.25 lacs rupees with repairs of rs 38,000, was it worth it? For a vehicle with such high odometer reading I would only trust the Japanese duo of Toyota and Honda.

Thank You, @Sran. I agree with your point on Japanese cars, but the 2012 Fortuner AT wasn't available for less than 16L in 2016 when we were scouting for automatics. This Endeavour needn't have been sold this fast. But what can I do if the friend gets an itch to change in less than four years? Now, coming to costs:

1. UJ crosses are a normal casualty in a vehicle that has, maybe, been used off road too; 13k for parts and labour is nothing for this behemoth. A bad UJ cross will show up via propeller shaft vibrations at speeds over 60kmph but this car showed no such tell-tale signs during the test drive.

2. We have one life to live and if owning an Endeavour can make someone feel good, this 3.25L is nothing. Buy a 15L petrol sedan, for example, and it depreciates 20% right out of the showroom, and loses half its original value in 3 years. The 3.25L depreciation on the Endeavour is much much lower than that. This was a 22L car that was picked up for approx. 40% value after 5 years; those days even Ford SUVs were commanding good resale values in Chennai.

3. The Ford TDCi engine is quite a robust unit, and 1,12,500km is nothing. There is virtually no risk in picking up such high run vehicles if usage is going to be low.

[Maedhros]

Originally Posted by Sreesh1009

Are there more posts coming up?

I sure hope so. Can't get enough of these stories. Keep 'em coming.

Originally Posted by vigsom

Mayhem - May 2017
I was in the Grand Vitara

Thanks for sharing. Also, is there a thread on the Grand Vitara or is it coming up?

[Crow]

Yet another excellent thread, Vigsom. Thanks a lot for sharing. I hereby name you The Master of Pre-Worshipped Cars. Absolutely loved each and every one of your ownership (directly or by proxy) threads.

People like me would start panicking if anything goes wrong with the car, however small the issue. I really love the fact that you don’t panic and are able to diagnose complicated issues and figure out fixes for these too. If I ever buy a used car, I will be the first to contact you for some help. There’s so much to learn from you. Thanks again.

[Gotham_City]

Beautiful anecdote. The real gangsta car! Came this close to getting it, but was dissuaded by the last row. This butch SUV still commands respect on the road. One of few which repels pesky rickshaw guys. For some reason, Ford under marketed this.

[MAS]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Attachment 2084142

Thank you Som for the detailed views.

I sold my Endeavour in End 2016. The car served me well, but the launch of the New Fortuner changed my thoughts.

The pic of my old Endeavour


The New Fortuner taking its place

[torquecurve]

Originally Posted by Sran

3 years and a depreciation of 3.25 lacs rupees with repairs of rs 38,000, was it worth it? For a vehicle with such high odometer reading I would only trust the Japanese duo of Toyota and Honda.

Originally Posted by vigsom

Thank You @Sreesh1009. There are ....
Thank You, @Sran. I agree with your point on Japanese cars, but the 2012 Fortuner AT wasn't available for less than 16L in 2016 when we were scouting for automatics. This Endeavour needn't have been sold this fast. But what can I do if the friend gets an itch to change in less than four years? Now, coming to costs:

Bought a PreWorshipped Skoda Superb 2011 - in 2017 end with exactly 1 lac kms on the Odo. Replaced some suspension parts (45k), got the ATF changed per schedule (40k @120k kms), replaced the battery (under extended warranty had to pay 50%. IIRC), regular services. Recently (pre lockdown) the rear door handle (outside) was broken by some unknown force abs during lockdown used it to haul and distribute food, rations to the needy. The steering rack was giving trouble and I had got it fixed from a FNG earlier, also had a coolant leak due to a blown return pipe which was repaired. Front left axle gave way finally and sold it as it is for about 3 lakhs less than what I bought it for. Totally spent about 4.2/3 lakhs on the ownership over 3 years. Odo reading during the sale was 142k kms. 42000 kms of excellent driving fun and luxury for 4.2lakhs - a brilliant deal eh? Accelerates quicker than you expect, brilliant 6 speed DSG, torque across the power band, driving at ‘unmentionable’ 3 digit speeds. I remember once while driving on the Expressway it just happened that an A4, BMW 3 series, me and a Passat were driving like a convoy - at good speeds! Goosebumps yes!
The Jekyll and Hyde nature of this car is EPIC! A relaxed highway cruiser that can scare the pants off! I wouldn’t have sold it had I not been short on Vit M post the lockdown.
Will I do this again - Yes! But will probably buy an SUV to tackle the bad roads and a fast sedan for those ghats!

Sorry I hijacked the thread a bit but couldn’t help it. A well maintained car for a cheap price is a good deal - as long as you are mentally prepared for things to break and keep aside money to fix things.