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-   -   My Ford Fiesta 1.6 SXI completes 13.7 years and dies by drowning! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/38261-my-ford-fiesta-1-6-sxi-completes-13-7-years-dies-drowning-54.html)

It's been a while from my last update. I took up a regular job and therefore the Red Injun is back to regular use.

As I work till midnight in my new job, I have been seeing smooth traffic both ways. But a month ago, during my return trip, there was a sudden hailstorm with gusts of nearly 100 kmph. The same night saw a tragic accident of a Minister's son on a Mercedes SUV. That very night, when I heard of heavy rain in my area of residence, I left office at 1130 pm. There was hardly a drizzle in Hitec City area. But midway, I was greeted by a hailstorm and heavy rain.

After seeing the normal road from LV Prasad Hospital to Begumpet jammed, I ventured on a longer route via Cancer Hospital. Big mistake! Soon as I took a left turn at the hospital, I was vehicles reversing. The cops had blocked that route due to water-logging. Left with no other choice, I retraced my steps on the dark road to KBR Park, which was 1 km away. It was raining so hard that I could barely see the divider. And it was pitch dark due to power cut.

I've never driven on that stretch in pitch darkness amid heavy rain.Little did I know that there were two low-lying spots of 20 meters each. The first one took me by surprise. I dropped gear to 2nd and kept my foot on the throttle, while switching off the AC immediately. When the car passed the deepest spot, there was a 'whirrr' sound from the engine and a warning light flashed on momentarily. I continued in 2nd and had a similar experience on the second trough, but luckily the momentum was enough to wade through. Luckily, the deepest spot took only 2 or 3 seconds to cross in either case.

I was literally scared of the engine stalling, but I am happy that reading horror stories on this forum came to my rescue. Dropping to a lower gear, and keeping the throttle pressed, and revving around 2500 rpm saved me! Looks like God was on my side that night!

The brakes had zero bite after that, and only after repeated efforts they got some grip back. From there, it took me an hour to traverse one km. I ultimately gate-crashed into a cousin's place that night, as I just did not have the energy or patience to drive another 3 kms home.

Overall, I am delighted with the Red injun. Everything is working fine , including the fog lamps. i am certain the water was much above them in the deepest spots.

Ford India just announced a recall of all petrol Fiestas and Figos manufactured between 2004-2012. To check the power steering hose which in case of a leak could lead to the oil falling on the exhaust manifold and catching fire.


Just a few days back this exact thing happened with me and by God's grace I was able to douse the fire in time. The engine cover, wiper tray, coolant container and some other plastic parts melted.
Considering the emergency of the situation I got the car towed to my trusted local mechanic fearing a hefty bill from Ford cause I didn't know the cause at the time. Ended up spending around 26k to get the car back to running condition. 😊😅

I want to know after Ford announced the recall, would I be reimbursed for the cost I had to incur for their manufacturing defect?

I think they've known about a problem with the PS hose for a long time. It used to be mainstay in the bill after service "PS hose adjust" or something like that. I had the smoking issue from the leaking once but my mechanic fixed it for keeps.

Sorry to hear about your mishap, but I too got a recall email from Ford an hour ago. This looks like a repeat of their recall sometime in 2008 or 09. At that point of time, they sent a technician to my place to inspect the hose, and he found it to be ok.

A few years later, when the car was out of EW, they found a leak in the power steering hose during normal service. When I escalated to Ford India, they changed it free of charge as a goodwill gesture. This being the case, I wonder why I got a recall notice again.

Below is a screenshot of the email.

Congratulations sir, on completing 10 wonderful years with the beast! The colour still seems to have that shine and no signs of age anywhere. If not for those headlights, one wouldn't be able to tell it's a pre-2009 model!

I have been a silent lurker on this thread for some time now, and it has to be one of the most comprehensive Fiesta threads on the forum.
So, now I break my silence and speak here, asking for some advice, given this is pretty much the de-facto Fiesta official thread on TBHP.
I am looking to buy a used Fiesta 1.6, found a seemingly good-looking 2011 model in white with S alloys. Test drove and inspected it myself and the car felt tight and well-maintained. For peace of mind, got it inspected by Truebil, and they also rated it highly.

Now a few issues that I noticed, and will need to be looked into are the following :
1. AC not working : Having seen lot of Fiestas' AC's conking off on the forum, I fear the worst here - The evaporator coil could have gone kaput. The dealer maintains it's just lack of gas, and said he'll fix it. Is there a way to make sure the evaporator is fine? Can he just put gas and make it work temporarily, so it's working when I take delivery, and in few days *poof* it's all gone?
2. Minor Rust formation : There's some localised rust on one of the door corners. very little, only visible because the car is white. Is this normal, and can it be fixed at a body shop?
3. Truebil report has pointed out a minor oil leakage - not the 'puddle under the car' type, just the sump is moist with oil. What could be the reason for this? Can it truly be considered minor?
4. 2 tyres have a bulge and a sidewall tear. Will replace all 4 immediately. Would like to know suggestions on which ones to buy. The current spec is 195/55 R15, I plan to continue with the same. Was looking for Primacy 3ST's but sadly they aren't available in that size. How would Continentals fare?

@Rohan24---sorry for my late reply. Please have the car inspected by a trusted mechanic or by a reliable Ford service center before you take the plunge. I am not sure how to identify a faulty evaporator coil, but it would be good if you set aside around 11 k for repairing that, 22 k for tyres and another 20 k for miscellaneous repairs.

As regards rust, i advise you to contact a reputed painter and take an estimate. It is better to nip a problem in the bud!

Best of luck to you. Don't hesitate to ask questions here.

Congratulations on the landmark! clap: Mine's running on the 9th year. April 2018 is when I will get to the decade, although all credit goes to the first owner who maintained it in pristine conditon for 7 and a half years and 93 k kms before handing it over to me. It's currently at 1,12,840. Got my timing belt, pulleys all changed last year. No issues to report as of now. Car is running awesome and still exciting to drive. Should be a keeper *fingers crossed* .

I'd be concerned about the rust. Do get it checked thoroughly. Also the oil, try and find out where it's coming from.

Do tell me how the tyres are when you change them. I'm on Nankangs. They're okay, but kind of loud.

Sure. Confused between S drives and Contis. S drives have mixed reviews, some like the grip, while others are irritated by the tyre noise they generate.
Will post here once I get them changed.

It's okay, sir. Sorry, I actually didn't see your reply earlier.
The car has already been inspected by a mechanic, he said it is in good condition. Will be taking it this weekend mostly.
The dealer said he'll take care of the rust. I was worried, until I saw the rust on PratikPatel's Project Fiesta! Compared to that, this is nothing, and if that could be fixed, I'm sure this won't be a problem. It's just a few brown dots at the corner of the door.

Have already allocated money for tyres. Will have to notify dad about the extra costs that COULD be incurred. He's not gonna be happy though :uncontrol
Fingers crossed it doesn't turn out to be an evaporator coil issue.

Also, how long would it generally take for the AC gas to leak out completely. The dealer says he has fixed the AC, which was last week. So, if there's a leak or evaporator issue, I guess the cooling should be abnormal right?

I had a similar experience with my Ford Fiesta 1.6 S where the fumes would emit from the bonnet. After 3 repairs and ~INR. 20k repair cost, they finally fixed it.
I have the same question, will they reimburse? why didn't they tell us earlier?

I haven't got the time to visit the service centre so don't know yet.
Did you get it fixed from Ford or elsewhere?

Well, if there is indeed a leak in the evaporator coil, then it depends on the size of the leak. Difficult to tell. But do keep an eye on the AC effectiveness over the next few days and weeks.

On tyres, S drives are not available for 14 inch rims, but only from 15 inch upwards. I guess your's is a Fiesta S, else there is no point in looking for S drives.

Edit: I just saw your post that you have a car with S alloys. So it is indeed 15 inches that you need to scout for.
As regards the moist oil sump, it could be due to a leak in the oil seal on the drive shaft. I had a similar experience when my car was elevated last week for underbody inspection. The S.A. said he tightened a nut on the shaft and it should hold good. If not, he'll replace the oil seal.

Does anyone know how much does a fuel Injector for the 1.4 cost? Having some issues with idling and power delivery even after getting the injectors cleaned.

Thanks, that's reassuring.

Went and checked the car again today to see if the work has indeed been done.
Happy to report that the rust on the door has been taken care of and AC was cooling very well. Just one teeny weeny little doubt though - is the compressor quite audible when the AC is switched on, for the Fiesta?
I could distinctly hear it working, the sound died out after about a minute though.
I asked the guy to switch on a Figo's AC to check, and even that sounded the same. So I guess it's just that the Verna's refinement has pampered me lol: still, asking to confirm.

I've attached a pic of the moist oil sump. The car has been parked there for at least 4-5 days, and I didn't find any spill underneath, so I reckon it's not an ongoing leak.

Mine was around 50% as moist, so I suggest you have it inspected. I don't see any cause for alarm right now, as long as there are no drops of oil below the car.

As regards AC, there is a very minor sound when the compressor is on. It was inaudible with the original evaporator coil, but after replacement, I can distinctly hear a 'clank clank' , when there is no ambient noise. I believe this is normal.

I'm not sure of the Verna, but Hyundais are known for refinement.

Yes, will take it to the service centre as soon as possible.

Yes! It's a 'clank clank' sound itself! So that seems normal too, thank you.

Will be picking it up tomorrow. Hope to start an ownership thread once I've spent a few days with it.
Can someone give any inputs on the Continental CPC2s? I don't want to go for MRF, JK's or Goodyear Eagles. That leaves me only the XM2's (medium compound AFAIK), Yoko S drives, Falken Azenis and the Contis. Read that S drives are loud and wear out sooner than usual too, no idea at all about the Azenis.