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Old 7th September 2009, 21:52   #301
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Originally Posted by Fordy View Post
Hi Ben,

I followed Mike's story and quite impressed with the details provided by you. I own a Ford Ikon Flair too. I stay on the Old Air port road (to get an idea, Exactly, at the place where your car was hit by an Auto Guy - I read through your posts).

I have a query, My car is due for servicing (ODO - 15K +) and it is out of warranty, What is your recommendation? All these days its been serviced in Lathangi. Thanks in advance for your reply.
Fordy, thanks for the nice comments. What model is your car?
Looks like your usage of the car is limitd going by the low mileage on the odo. Do put up some pics of your ride.

Since you mention that you have been getting the car regularly serviced from Lathangi Ford, continue with them if you do not have any complaints. Another option which i am also thinking of trying out is the old Cauvery Ford which now is called Cauvery Motors Pvt Ltd on Kanakpura road. Since they do have some of their old technicians i may think of trying them out considering the car runs out of warranty by the month end.

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Jaggu, Thanks for the suggestion. I would do so. However, Honestly, I dont know where is a decent shop in & around Maratha Halli in Bangalore to do a wheel alignment & balancing. Any pointers would definitely help. Also, as my tyres are 15K Kms old, do I need to rotate the tyres?
There is one alignment and balancing shop on the Varthur Main road as you proceed from Kundanahalli towards Varthur, on the right side. Another one is there on ORR at junction before Intel as you proceed from Marathalli towards Sarjapur. However, i am not aware of the service quality of these places, and am just aware of their existence. The second place which i had mentioned, I had gone to them to buy a new tyre for my relative's Alto when they were visiting Bangalore. The owner was a nice guy and also gifted me a couple of calendars to spread the word.

As for wheel rotation, Jaggu has already mentioned why its required.

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I goto Madhus at Richmond, maybe others can help with shops near Marthahalli. Yes tire needs rotation every 5-7k kms and ensure you use spare tire also to get the best out of all 5 tires.
Like Jaggu, i got my car's alignment and balancing done from Madhu's on Richmond road, and was impressed with the cordiality, as i have mentioned in my previous post. IMO, it definitely beats getting the same done at the dealer which is much more expensive!

As for wheel rotation, i stopped getting the spare wheel rotated since it has a rather bad rim bend. Currently, its just strictly that, a spare.
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Old 8th September 2009, 12:24   #302
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Jaggu & Ben,

Thanks mates. I will check with Madhus on the Richmond Road.

Ben - My usage is very limited around 1000-1200 / month. I dont drive it to the Office everyday (My office is in electronic city). Only Weekend Drives. It was purchased on 30th Nov 2007. Its Panther Black. All Stock. No Mod's done (Read through your DIY to set up the Boot release - will try some day) I will post some pictures in the Gallery once I have the access to it.
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Old 9th September 2009, 10:09   #303
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Final EMI on the car has been paid, and i have written in to the people at Kotak Mahindra for providing me with the NOC. I hope it does not turn out to be a long drawn affair, and neither do i have to face any of the trauma mentioned in this thread : Kotak_Loans


Quote:
Originally Posted by Fordy View Post
Ben - My usage is very limited around 1000-1200 / month. I dont drive it to the Office everyday (My office is in electronic city). Only Weekend Drives. It was purchased on 30th Nov 2007. Its Panther Black. All Stock. No Mod's done (Read through your DIY to set up the Boot release - will try some day) I will post some pictures in the Gallery once I have the access to it.
Fordy, do get the boot release done. Once you have it, you will wonder how you lived without one!

You are welcome to post your car pics here, if you feel like. As they say, the more the merrier.
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Old 9th September 2009, 12:24   #304
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Originally Posted by benbsb29 View Post
Final EMI on the car has been paid, and i have written in to the people at Kotak Mahindra for providing me with the NOC. I hope it does not turn out to be a long drawn affair, and neither do i have to face any of the trauma mentioned in this thread
Hey.. its always a relief to get the Hypotheticated part done with. The car is now fully yours .

I dont think getting the NOC will be a problem but get it done asap. Also dont forget to get the hypotheticated part removed from your RC book.
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Old 18th September 2009, 19:26   #305
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Originally Posted by benbsb29 View Post
Final EMI on the car has been paid, and i have written in to the people at Kotak Mahindra for providing me with the NOC. I hope it does not turn out to be a long drawn affair, and neither do i have to face any of the trauma mentioned in this thread : Kotak_Loans
The NOC was finally delivered to me by courier this evening, exactly 9 days since the above post of mine. It did take proactive effort from my end along with constant followup, but they did stick to their committed time period.

Quote:
Originally Posted by krish3 View Post
Hey.. its always a relief to get the Hypotheticated part done with. The car is now fully yours .

I dont think getting the NOC will be a problem but get it done asap. Also dont forget to get the hypotheticated part removed from your RC book.
Thanks Krish. The NOC was provided with 2 copies of the Form 35. I will now need to get the hypothecation part removed from both the RC as well as insurance statement.
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Old 18th September 2009, 19:46   #306
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Congrats Benny. I know what a relief this must be - the car is yours solely now with no strings attached and the EMI component of the salary now having great savings-potential.

Time for a party from you then.
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Old 18th September 2009, 21:23   #307
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Congrats Benny. Does it feel any different, now that you own all of your car!! Have a safe drive to Kerala.
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Old 28th September 2009, 11:21   #308
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Congrats Benny. I know what a relief this must be - the car is yours solely now with no strings attached and the EMI component of the salary now having great savings-potential.
No strings attached for sure but i need to get the hypothecation removed before i can say that with conviction.

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Originally Posted by unni.ak View Post
Congrats Benny. Does it feel any different, now that you own all of your car!! Have a safe drive to Kerala.
That the loan is over is a major relief, and to think that i nearly opted for a 5 year loan!

Back from a 10 day trip to Kerala, these important milestones came up on the way, as we inch towards the 3 years of ownership mark.

The Story of MIKE - My Ikon Flair 2006 EDIT : The story concludes-img_6376.jpg

The Story of MIKE - My Ikon Flair 2006 EDIT : The story concludes-img_6378.jpg
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Old 4th October 2009, 08:55   #309
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3 Years of Ownership

The Story of MIKE - My Ikon Flair 2006 EDIT : The story concludes-copy-dsc01104.jpg

On the 29th of September, my Ikon finally completed 3 years of having joined my family. What was essentially meant to be a car for highway runs, and weekends now has donned the role of a daily runner. Initially, the kms ticked by rather slow since i was just getting used to what is my first car, and also it not being required as a daily usage vehicle - I had my bike for that.

The Story of MIKE - My Ikon Flair 2006 EDIT : The story concludes-dsc01107-copy.jpg

Now that the car loan is over, and i am in the process of getting the hypothecation removed, there is a sense of contentment. The only niggling thought in my head is the fact that the car is now out of warranty, and i am on my own in case anything turns up. I had the option to extend the warranty, but decided against it. Lets see it as it comes.

The Story of MIKE - My Ikon Flair 2006 EDIT : The story concludes-copy-dsc01085.jpg

Now, coming to the experience over the years.. has it fulfilled what we aimed at when we were looking out for our first car? Hell, YES! Rather than remain stifled by a hatch, i chose to go in for a sedan, albeit an entry level one. The decision has paid off big time since we do regular highway drives, and the amount of stuff we load into the boot reiterates the decision for a sedan. Return trips from Kerala always see us being back loads of stuff from home.

The Story of MIKE - My Ikon Flair 2006 EDIT : The story concludes-dsc01079.jpg

SERVICE EXPERIENCE:

Service experience over the years has been rather good, and although i miss my earlier dealer (Cauvery Ford), the current one ie Lathangi Ford has been decent enough. Having built a good rapport with the staff there, i havent had any interaction related issues, although there have been times when i had to go back to get a certain problem fixed.

The Story of MIKE - My Ikon Flair 2006 EDIT : The story concludes-copy-dsc01065-copy.jpg

MILEAGE:

Mileage has been rather consistent within city limits with my varied A/C usage where it returns between 11-14kmpl. Highway drives usualy return about 15-18kmpl, although the last highway trip to Kerala was rather miserly, returning just about 14kmpl. Needless to say, i was ripping and doing speeds to the tune of 100-150kmph where visibility was excellent.

The Story of MIKE - My Ikon Flair 2006 EDIT : The story concludes-dsc01071.jpg

ISSUES?

Well, there was a time when the reverse gear failed to engage, which resulted in some rather embarassing moments when i had to park at the Forum Mall, as well as some other places. We would drive up, then 3-4 people would get out, and then push to reverse. This was rectified under the Extended Warranty, although i had to pay for some parts which werent covered.

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MODIFICATIONS :

I basically like the car stock and so mods were highly limited over the years. I was planning on alloys, but the decision has been deferred. Other simple mods include the LED cabin and boot lights as well as the boot release cable.

Odo now stands at 34,600 kms, and here's looking forward to many more happy miles on MyIkon.
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Old 4th October 2009, 09:02   #310
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Congrats Benny. Lovely maintained Ford. And that color, is still really good. This Ford is much better in looks when compared to the recently launced one. I hate those front grill.

And wishes for more and more miles from your miky!
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Old 4th October 2009, 14:35   #311
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Mikey, the car looks absolutely fresh !!

Can you let me know the speeds that you do at 2000 rom with and without AC. Need to double check if my clutch is slipping
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Old 4th October 2009, 21:27   #312
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Benny, Congrats Mate. Do not worry about the extended warranty, this Ford can go a long way. Also love to see your ODO @ 99999 another 64 K I am sure you will do it. Great
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Old 5th October 2009, 10:39   #313
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mjothi View Post
Congrats Benny. Lovely maintained Ford. And that color, is still really good. This Ford is much better in looks when compared to the recently launced one. I hate those front grill.
Thanks Mahesh. Personally, i would prefer the looks on my car to the newer Kinetic design, but if only they had offerred the TDCi engine on the Ikon then!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eddy View Post
Mikey, the car looks absolutely fresh !!

Can you let me know the speeds that you do at 2000 rom with and without AC. Need to double check if my clutch is slipping
Thanks Eddy.
As for what you had asked, i would need a clear road to check that out, which is not possible during my commute to and from office. Will check it out during a night run, and update. Gimme a couple of days.

Quote:
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Benny, Congrats Mate. Do not worry about the extended warranty, this Ford can go a long way. Also love to see your ODO @ 99999 another 64 K I am sure you will do it. Great
I sure hope things dont turn sour in what has been a good experience so far. As for 99999, lets see.. fingers crossed.
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Old 6th October 2009, 22:00   #314
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Quote:
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Can you let me know the speeds that you do at 2000 rom with and without AC. Need to double check if my clutch is slipping
Eddy, these are the speeds which my car attains @ 2000 rpm :

2nd gear : 30 kmph
3rd gear : 50 kmph
4th gear : 60kmph
5th gear : 80 kmph

These are without A/C. With the A/C turned on, the speeds reached @ 2000 rpm are slightly lesser than the above. These were noted after about 4kms of running, so engine should have warmed up by then.

Hope that helps. Let me know what the figures are like on your car.

Current odo reading on my car : 34850 kms.
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Old 6th October 2009, 23:46   #315
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Benny excellent updates! I suggest you go for the extended warranty if its under 10k for another 2-3 years, nothing to do with Ford or iKON but for the indian conditions and the age factor, its like an insurance. Also go through the coverage details before you pay up, since it vary with brands.
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