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Old 14th May 2010, 12:04   #421
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Originally Posted by Jaguar View Post
Thanks Benny. And yes, I am talking about the valve. I know about the by-pass, but till the time I have warranty left, I might as well get it replaced. Running the 5th valve in last 2.5 years. And looks like I may need another replacement.
Ramesh, that's too much .For you the valve has been replaced every 6 months. My Ikon Flair is september 2009 built model, but in my 15months of ownership I have not had a single failure as yet.The thermostat works fine, but I must have used the heater only twice or thrice till now.
How can it be that some car have the issue and some doesn't?
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Old 14th May 2010, 13:28   #422
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The valve issue is very common in the ikon and almost all the people I have spoken to have by-passed the valve and live with just cooling. I use 100% A/C and that might be the reason for more frequent failure compared to others. Also, I replace the valve only during regular service or if the cooling stops and hence 6 replacements. Had I gone for replacement everytime the thermostat stops working, I guess I would be running probably the 10th unit by now. Usually, when the failure occurs, the a/c works in the min temp and blows hot-air when the temp knob is even increased a little bit.

Enough of hijacking Mike's story. We can continue the valve discussion in the thread I had created for the same: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...n-c-issue.html
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Old 5th June 2010, 08:06   #423
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Another Kerala trip, and more kms added to the odo. With this trip, we heralded the 40,000 kms mark...
...I risked taking the car to the place where people highly recommended that we hire a Jeep to take us there. With a boot loaded to the brim, 4 adults and an infant the car trudged up really steep climbs with no road surface which seemed rather insane now that i come to think of it.. .
Hi Ben,

Whew! At last, I've waded through some 29 odd pages of your thread! Been wanting to write in here but it has taken ages to go through all the posts.

Your Ikon has a nice colour, not commonly seen. Your last pics from your Kerala trip shows it's being maintained squeaky clean.

What was this place you visited where you should have gone by Jeep? Do you have any pics?

3 years on, do you have any plans for an upgrade?

Regards
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Old 7th June 2010, 13:07   #424
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Damu, thanks for coming by this thread.

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Your Ikon has a nice colour, not commonly seen. Your last pics from your Kerala trip shows it's being maintained squeaky clean.
The color is indeed quite rare, and frankly when i come to think of it now, i dont think there was another color i would have gone for. We had almost decided on what was called Platinum in 2006, but one look at this color in the showroom, and we decided this was the color we were going for. These days, a slightly darker version of this color called Morello which has been released by Ford does seem to be quite popular.

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What was this place you visited where you should have gone by Jeep? Do you have any pics?
Unfortunately, i didnt take any pics of the route up the hills. I shall check with my wife and tell the exact name of the place since i dont recall the name now. Actually, i was quite concerned then about any possible damage to the vehicle, since we had to leave the same night back to Bangalore, a distance of over 580 kms. With a toddler along, i really didnt want any risks. I didnt think the trail would be that bad, else i would have vetoed right away.

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3 years on, do you have any plans for an upgrade?
In September, the vehicle would complete 4 years of ownership. Its been great on the highways, and the boot has been a major bonus for us, owing to regular highway trips. In city too, the extra space this demands over a hatch isnt much, being a compact sedan as you know quite well.

I would be eligible for a company car next june, so i would be looking at upgrading to a SUV owing to the highway drives we do. Wifey has now set her eyes on the Ikon, and is looking forward to taking over the car then, in all respects. The glint in her eyes as she says this is quite visible.
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Old 7th June 2010, 16:16   #425
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Hey Ben,

Congrats, she looks as stunning as she was on day 1,

You have kept her happy these 3+ yrs.
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Old 7th June 2010, 17:26   #426
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Damu, thanks for coming by this thread.
Very interesting thread Ben, you really have gone deep into the Ikon.

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Originally Posted by benbsb29 View Post
The color is indeed quite rare..
Yes, I mentioned 'not common', but come to think of it, I've not seen this colour at all! I should have said, "unique"!

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I didnt think the trail would be that bad, else i would have vetoed right away...
Okay, that explains the decision! But it does say a lot about the Ikon's design and build quality. (That's why I asked if you had pics; just wanted to see what it was like).

In one of your posts you wrote about driving into a pot hole and leaving a wheel cover on the road (donated to roads dept!). Same thing happened to me in 2005 driving from Coimbatore to Bangalore. Just before Salem on a good stretch of tarmac, I hit a nearly invisible and totally unexpected pothole. Saw it too late and slammed the brakes but must have still been at about 60/70 kph when I hit it. The sound was so loud that I was sure the suspension had collapsed. Wheel cover went flying into the distance and the wheel rim was bent. Near panic, (the car was just over a year old), I called Metro Ford. Was told to bring the car and I drove from Salem to Metro Ford St. Mark's Road direct. Car was put on the lift and checked by the senior engineer. Then, using latest technology, the sophisticated fix - four sound whacks with a hammer and all was back to normal!

Absolutely no damage to the suspension or other parts. Designed tough, built tough, that's my experience with the Ikon.

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I would be eligible for a company car next june, so i would be looking at upgrading to a SUV owing to the highway drives we do...
Ah ha! Dare I guess... a Scorp?

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Wifey has now set her eyes on the Ikon, and is looking forward to taking over the car then, in all respects. The glint in her eyes as she says this is quite visible.
Can totally relate with you on this, Ben! You know, when I traded my Accent for the Ikon , my wife was furious with me; she loved the Accent (we all did, in fact). And then one day I gave her the Ikon and said, "enjoy". Well, never a single complaint after that day! Yep, I can imagine that glint!

Looking forward to more pics and updates from Mike...

Regards,
Damu
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Old 7th June 2010, 22:34   #427
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Hey Ben,

Congrats, she looks as stunning as she was on day 1
Thanks Hormaz! Havent seen you around on the forum since a long time. Hows your Fiesta been treating you? How many kms clocked so far?

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Originally Posted by Damu View Post
Very interesting thread Ben, you really have gone deep into the Ikon.
Thanks Damu. Your write-up was quite a heart-tugging one, so this one pales in comparision.

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Okay, that explains the decision! But it does say a lot about the Ikon's design and build quality. (That's why I asked if you had pics; just wanted to see what it was like).
The build quality has been exceptional, with no rattles till date, and nothing falling off. Must say, the car has seen a fair share of bad and no roads in its lifetime so far.

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In one of your posts you wrote about driving into a pot hole and leaving a wheel cover on the road (donated to roads dept!). Same thing happened to me in 2005 driving from Coimbatore to Bangalore. Just before Salem on a good stretch of tarmac, I hit a nearly invisible and totally unexpected pothole.

Absolutely no damage to the suspension or other parts. Designed tough, built tough, that's my experience with the Ikon.
My wheelcap donating episode also was somewhere near Salem. I donated one wheelcap when going and another one when returning! The car which left Bangalore with 4 wheelcaps came backl with just two. It was during this trip that my car was selected to ferry a relative to his engagement ceremony. Needless to say, the car too would be a subject in the video being shot. The cameraman made arrangements so the car would only be covered from the side which had both wheelcaps.

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Ah ha! Dare I guess... a Scorp?
At the moment, thats what i have in mind. I just hope they dont increase the prices in any way that would affect my purchasing eligibility. Fingers crossed, for now.

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Looking forward to more pics and updates from Mike...
Just back from an Ooty and Coonor trip over the weekend, so will be putting up an update from that trip, as well as some pics to add to the visual experience.

Last edited by benbsb29 : 7th June 2010 at 22:36.
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Old 8th June 2010, 16:46   #428
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The build quality has been exceptional, with no rattles till date, and nothing falling off
Exceptional is an accurate term, I agree. I am constantly amazed by this toughness.


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Originally Posted by benbsb29 View Post
My wheelcap donating episode also was somewhere near Salem. I donated one wheelcap when going and another one when returning!
Same place, eh, Ben? Wouldn't have been surprised if some enterprising chap started collecting these covers and opened a shop a few kms down the road! I was told recently that the road now is excellent all the way to Coimbatore.



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At the moment, thats what i have in mind.
Yep, I find the Scorpio attractive too! In spite of its shortcomings, I still am drawn to it.



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Originally Posted by benbsb29 View Post
Just back from an Ooty and Coonor trip over the weekend, so will be putting up an update from that trip, as well as some pics to add to the visual experience.
Looking forward to it. Now that I'm up to date on this thread I can follow it easily!

Cheerio!
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Old 9th June 2010, 23:33   #429
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To Ooty and back

Did a weekend trip to Ooty and back, thereby bringing up the 43,500 kms mark. The car performed as expected all through the trip, with the steering response totally having me hooked!

Highlight was the return journey which returned a mileage of 18.1 kmpl, which is a figure i got to see after a rather long time. Saner driving through the city as well has helped keep up between 12-14kmpl in city on a regular basis. These are with low A/c usage.

Some pics which i had clicked on the Ooty trip:

The Story of MIKE - My Ikon Flair 2006 EDIT : The story concludes-copy-img_8536.jpg

The Story of MIKE - My Ikon Flair 2006 EDIT : The story concludes-copy-img_8591.jpg
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Old 10th June 2010, 08:51   #430
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Did a weekend trip to Ooty and back, thereby bringing up the 43,500 kms mark. The car performed as expected all through the trip, with the steering response totally having me hooked!
Nice pics of a well-travelled car, Ben! A write up on the journey?

Your FE figures are good. Is this the usual for the 1.3 engine?

BTW, which route did you take? We also went to Coonoor in May and took the Masinagudi route. (But we went in a group so the vehicles were a Tavera and a Scorpio, so no mad excitement doing the hill in an Ikon! I was like a dog denied his bone )

Regards,
Damu
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Old 21st July 2010, 12:23   #431
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Nice pics of a well-travelled car, Ben! A write up on the journey?

BTW, which route did you take? We also went to Coonoor in May and took the Masinagudi route. (But we went in a group so the vehicles were a Tavera and a Scorpio, so no mad excitement doing the hill in an Ikon! I was like a dog denied his bone )
Damu, here is the link to the travelogue:
Travelogue

All route details are updated in the travelogue, of which we took the hairpins on the way up, and the easy.. relaxed route on the way down.

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Your FE figures are good. Is this the usual for the 1.3 engine?
With my style of driving, the 1.3 conistently returns similar mileage figures. However, when the ignition coil was on its last legs, FE took a major hit.

Meanwhile, slowly and steadily, the car has crossed the 45,000 kms mark. Unfortunately, i couldnt capture a snap of the 44444 kms on the odo. Kept a mental note to do so, and the next time i looked, it was 44446.

Hardly get any time to wash the car these days, so it always looks like it just came outta garbage dump.
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Old 21st July 2010, 13:02   #432
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Damu, here is the link to the travelogue:
Thanks Ben will take a look, didn't see it earlier.

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Meanwhile, slowly and steadily, the car has crossed the 45,000 kms mark.
, 5k kms to go the next landmark!

Cheers!
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Old 8th September 2010, 12:48   #433
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Time for an update.

An unscheduled drive to and from Kerala resulted in the odo clocking over the 47000 kms mark. I absolutely love the car while on the highways for its handling, and composure. The only weak link would be the stock MRFs its on.

Here are the latest fuel efficiency figures:

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

Service is still pending, but totally unable to get it done, as the car has duties every single day!
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Old 8th September 2010, 13:58   #434
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Hey Ben,

Nice to see an update after long. But tell me how did you get the mileage of 18 kmpl??What speed where you driving on ?
I never got more than 16.5 to 16.9kmpl that too on NH7.
and petrol at 57.42 per litre.It's costlier here in Hyderabad :(
@ 47k, isn't it time for tyre change? how good are the tyres?

Last edited by Fordmanchau : 8th September 2010 at 14:05.
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Old 8th September 2010, 14:46   #435
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Hey Ben,

Nice to see an update after long. But tell me how did you get the mileage of 18 kmpl??What speed where you driving on ?
I never got more than 16.5 to 16.9kmpl that too on NH7.
and petrol at 57.42 per litre.It's costlier here in Hyderabad :(
@ 47k, isn't it time for tyre change? how good are the tyres?
The petrol costs you see are for petrol which was filled in TN as well as in KL. As you can imagine, the cost for petrol in Bangalore is way more than that in any other place in India.

As for the FE touching the 18kmpl mark, its something which i have managed to achieve on more than 3 occassions on my car. In this particular case, it was on the return journey from Palakkad to somewhere near Hosur where i had tanked up, to take advantage of the lower fuel cost in TN, before crossing into KA.

What i maintained here was between 80-100 kmph, with 80% A/C usage, on a four laned highway. It was only occassionally when i clicked about 120kmph. Since we werent in a hurry to get back home to Bangalore, the drive back was quite relaxed and leisurely.

The journey to KL was hurried since we had to make it in time for a funeral of a relative, so was literally pushing it as much as i could. Managed to make it there just in time.

EDIT : Tyres seem fine as of now, and these being MRFs should hold well easily for another 5000 kms if not more! Will take a call depending on how it holds up over this period.

Last edited by benbsb29 : 8th September 2010 at 14:48.
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