[vnabhi]

I was taken aback yesterday when I got a call from an RTA inspector yesterday afternoon. He landed up with another colleague to inspect the cellar and the car within 15 minutes! I guess this is the advantage of having a contact in the RTO, and living close to it!

They took photos of the car, the interiors, the engine bay and the VIN on the floor of the car just in front of the driver's seat. The darn floor and mat was still having and inch of water, despite the car being left on the road for 3 weeks! They said the next step is that I'd have to get a welder and have him cut out the VIN, and then submit that piece to the RTA. They said the RTA cancellation will be completed in a few days after that is done. Honestly, i thought the welding part will be done by them, but never mind!

I got in touch with a welder and he is visiting in the afternoon. I'll keep the thread updated regularly.

One question I have is where the engine number is located? I know where it is on Maruti cars--above the firewall, on a metal plate, but i am not sure about the Ford. The engine bay is filled with muck, so the inspectors said they do not need that picture.

To facilitate welding, I got my maid to take a sponge and squeeze out the water from the floor of the car, where the VIN is located.

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

One question I have is where the engine number is located? I know where it is on Maruti cars--above the firewall, on a metal plate, but i am not sure about the Ford. The engine bay is filled with muck, so the inspectors said they do not need that picture.

Its under the driver seat. The carpet will have a small cut out (flap sort of) from where you can view the VIN stamped on the chassis.

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by Tgo

Its under the driver seat. The carpet will have a small cut out (flap sort of) from where you can view the VIN stamped on the chassis.

Isn't he asking about the engine number? Usually, it's on the engine block. I am not sure where it's located for a Ford Fiesta though.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

One question I have is where the engine number is located? I know where it is on Maruti cars--above the firewall, on a metal plate, but i am not sure about the Ford. The engine bay is filled with muck, so the inspectors said they do not need that picture.

I think it is on the right side of engine block, below the air intake scoop.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by Tgo

Its under the driver seat. The carpet will have a small cut out (flap sort of) from where you can view the VIN stamped on the chassis.

I've already mentioned that the RTA inspector took pictures of the VIN from that location.

Originally Posted by JithinR

Isn't he asking about the engine number? Usually, it's on the engine block. I am not sure where it's located for a Ford Fiesta though.

Correct, i was asking about this. Anyway, the RTA does not need that.

The welder ditched me today, but promised to come tomorrow. If he does not, I will scout for another.

[vnabhi]

Here are some of the forms that I had filled up for claiming insurance soon after the surveyor took pictures:





And here is the letter from the insurance company that came around 10 days later. I submitted it to the RTA on Nov 7th.



Posting the above for general information, lest someone meet with an accident.

[vnabhi]

The welder visited this morning and inspected the spot where the VIN/ chassis number is located, and said it would need a gas-cutting machine with an extra long wire that could be connected to a plug on the main gate security booth. He also said he could do it only on Sunday, and would cost Rs 2000. He said he would first have someone drain out the water that again collected on the floor, and then will need about half an hour to cut out the floor that has the number.

I agreed, but also scouted several welding shops at Khairatabad, close to the RTA HQ. Though there were 7 or 8 of them, none of them had the concerned equipment. I then visited the RTO and asked for guidance. I was told that there are welders who can do the job near RTC X Roads or Chikkadpalli, both of which are quite far. Therefore I am left with no option but to wait for my welder till Sunday.

The welder tried to persuade me to sell the car to him as scrap and get the balance amount from the insurance company (option B that was offered to me, about which I had posted earlier), but i flatly declined. He said he'd give 50K and also get the RC transferred. But I told him that option was already ruled out, as a letter was already given to the RTA.

Let us see how things pan out. The only step left is the cut the VIN part and submit it to the RTA. They will then cancel the RC, based on which Reliance promised to reimburse me within a couple of days.

[vnabhi]

I'm glad the welder came today with a couple of boys and got the job done. He first made a small hole in the floor in what apparently looked like a drain hole, and drained out all the water. He then cut the VIN from the floor of the car and handed it over to me. Charged 2k for it. Though it appeared to be high, I had no option, as already brought out in the previous post.

I also had him fold the rear seat and retrieve stuff from the boot. Gave all electrical items to his boys like the Garmin GPS, Belkin charger, tyre pressure guage, 12V air inflator etc. I don't believe they can be used anyway. I also gave them the door mats and magnetic window blinds. The only items i kept were a Swiss knife, and a few micro-fiber cloths.

Next step is to hand over the VIN block to the RTO and wait for them to cancel the registration. Once I get that letter, I have to hand it over the Reliance General Insurance. They said they would settle the claim in a week's time after that.

Pictures of the VIN in place, and after cutting it out.

[vnabhi]

Here are some pictures of the car being towed out, washed and inspected on Oct 21st and 22nd:

Took quite a bit of effort to lug the 1140 kg car out of the cellar. Marutis were towed out with much less effort though.

The same cellar was filled to its full height for more than 7 days. Now there is hardly a foot of water in it.



The towing vehicle in front.







Though the exterior shines after a wash, don't be deceived. See how shockingly dirty the interiors are, including the engine bay.







The driver who helped steer the car during towing used this sack to prevent his trousers from getting dirty by the muddy water that had entered into the pores of the leather seats:-







I wonder how the mats and other objects made it to the rear seat and the parcel tray region:

[vnabhi]

I visited the RTO today and deposited the chopped VIN block with the concerned section. The Inspector on duty was very polite and casually inquired about the vehicle, because the documents were not with him. He asked me to come in the afternoon for the cancellation letter. But his staff informed him that the lady who does the work was getting tested for Covid and was on leave today.

Therefore he asked me to visit on Wednesday afternoon and collect the RC cancellation document. He said he would find someone else to do the lady's work if she continues to be on leave.

Let us see how it goes. So far so good.

[bharanidharang]

I had a fiesta (Bought in 2010) which was in 4 feet of water (Covering the entire car) for about 2 days in the 2015 Chennai floods. While i was ready to write it off and claim insurance, ford sent the car for repair initially to MPL ford and subsequently to Lakshmi ford (In AP). Due to screws up by ford on communication, i had escalated on either closure as write-off or repair.

Ford did not take a penny from either me or my insurer (Bajaj) and replaced most parts and delivered to me after 4 months at home at 1 AM !! I sold of the car after a year in 2017 as part of exchange to a Creta after clearly indicating the it was flood repair for around 2.5 lacs.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by bharanidharang

I had a fiesta (Bought in 2010) which was in 4 feet of water (Covering the entire car) for about 2 days in the 2015 Chennai floods. While i was ready to write it off and claim insurance, ford sent the car for repair initially to MPL ford and subsequently to Lakshmi ford (In AP). Due to screws up by ford on communication, i had escalated on either closure as write-off or repair.

Ford did not take a penny from either me or my insurer (Bajaj) and replaced most parts and delivered to me after 4 months at home at 1 AM !! I sold of the car after a year in 2017 as part of exchange to a Creta after clearly indicating the it was flood repair for around 2.5 lacs.

Wow, that is incredible! How did Ford replace so many parts for free? Being immersed in 4 feet for 2 days would have caused enough damage to the electrical components and other parts. My car was under 11 feet of drain water (not rain water) for more than 7 days, so not comparable with yours.

I got a bloated estimate of 5.5 lakhs from FASS for repairs, but I am not sure how much it would have cost if I really wanted to get it repaired.

[car_guy1998]

Its very sad to see a beautiful car getting drowned in floods.

One of the best ownership reviews of Fiesta 1.6 I've ever read.Now,feeling sad to see the car going into total loss after recent floods.

Even I'm also from Hyderabad and luckily,our cars didn't get drowned in floods as our building is bit tall,which the water would not come into our parking.

So,after the sad demise of your Fiesta 1.6,which car are you planning to get as the replacement of your beautiful Fiesta 1.6?

To be frank,Ford doesn't make the cars like these anymore.The ones which came in pre-2010 era were the best one I've ever seen due to its FTD nature.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by car_guy1998

Its very sad to see a beautiful car getting drowned in floods.

One of the best ownership reviews of Fiesta 1.6 I've ever read.Now,feeling sad to see the car going into total loss after recent floods.


So,after the sad demise of your Fiesta 1.6,which car are you planning to get as the replacement of your beautiful Fiesta 1.6?

To be frank,Ford doesn't make the cars like these anymore.The ones which came in pre-2010 era were the best one I've ever seen due to its FTD nature.

Thank you for your kind words. And yes, Ford does not make such good cars anymore in India.

Perhaps i may consider a CUV like Ecosport/ Nexon/ Brezza, or go for a new sedan like the Rapid 1.0 turbo. But that will be only after a year, as we have a Figo 1.4 tdci and a Verna 1.6 CRDI at home. So no point evaluating options now.

[vnabhi]

I finally got a call from the RTA this afternoon, and got the RC cancellation proceedings. I took a colour xerox of it, and will submit it to the Reliance General Insurance office at Abids or Madhapur tomorrow.

I was supposed to get it on Wednesday, but when i visited i saw more than 2000 people in the queue at 4 pm! On inquiring, I was told that they are distributing flood relief to BPL applicants. Due to the huge rush, RTA had suspended its operations that operation. Just my bad luck!

I'll post a copy of the RC cancellation doc tomorrow. What I found funny in it is that it has a title of RC cancellation following non-payment of Road Tax!

When i asked the guy at the counter, he clarified that their software currently allows RC cancellation only with that heading. He pointed out to a small para in the letter that states that the vehicle was fully damaged by floods. He also said all insurance companies were aware of this strange format.

I will post an update tomorrow after submitting the doc at the insurance office.